The small white area that was sticking up turned out to be an old wound that had healed, but the rubbing was what I had suspected but in a different place...
I took Riley to the reptile vet nearby earlier today. It turned out that he had an abscess in the way back of his mouth on the left side. I was told that he probably got it when he bit something or when he was swallowing a rat and it scratched him or bit him on its way down. I have had him a month and he has never eaten for me. Apparently that is why he would not eat for me, he was in pain.
The vet removed the pus with a tweezers and gave Riley a shot of antibiotics. Because Riley wasn't eating as he is used to he was way too thin and so the vet force fed him a lubed small rat and gently worked it down toward his stomach in order to jump start his hunger response so that he will eat on his own again when I feed him next week. I was told a week ago that it is normal for an adult cave dwelling ratsnake to go a month without eating sometimes and not to worry. Not ever having a snake before of any kind I had no idea that Riley was too thin!
Thank God I was still worrying about his not eating because I am such a newbie and I tend to worry, saw a white spot and raised bit on his head (which turned out to be an old healed up wound), and noticed him rubbing his head on the left side against the glass. I had an iguana many years ago that had an abscess on her nose that had to be lanced and she was rubbing her head on the glass the same way Riley was. I will be shooting him up with antibiotics every three days.
Through all of this Riley was very good! He wriggled and threw coils like hell when his head was being held with his mouth forced open and gaped a bit and hissed a bunch in between the mouth exam and the force feeding about 5 or so minutes later, but... he did not try to strike or bite anyone! He didn't even flinch or make a sound when he got the shot. He's a very, very mellow snake with a sweet temperament. The vet is great and so is the tech and the staff. I take him back in three weeks for a follow up visit. Hopefully, the infection will clear up and Riley will be feeling like his old self very soon. I will be offering him dead as well as live next week as the vet instructed because I really want to switch him over from the live food he was fed by his previous owner who had had trouble trying to switch him over. I will be scenting the dead rat with the live one.
The vet also pointed out to me that Riley's trachea opening was previously damaged and had healed asymmetrically. He believes that is why Riley can be kinda noisy (he rattles a bit) when he breathes sometimes. As he seems to be able to breathe fine a part from the rattling on occasion, the vet told me that the opening should be okay as it is. Thought I'd let you know how Riley was doing.
Snake Rubbing His Head... Help!
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